There is currently no entrance fee at Mojave National Preserve, but park managers are exploring a proposal to begin collecting entrance fees on January 1, 2008.
Proposed Entrance Fees - valid for a period of 7 days
$10.00 per vehicle
$5.00 per individual on motorcycle, bicycle, by foot or other individual means
Proposed Mojave National Preserve Annual Pass
$20.00
The pass would be honored only at Mojave National Preserve. It would be valid for one year from the month of issue, and could be signed on the reverse by two persons. One of the pass owners must be present with a valid photo ID when presenting the pass to enter the park.
Issues under consideration
- Property in-holdings: Provisions would have to be made for issuing free passes to those owning property inside preserve boundaries.
- Collecting fees from through traffic: 28% to 48% of vehicles traveling through Mojave identify themselves as "just passing through." While their principal purpose is not to visit the park, they often use park facilities such as visitor centers, restrooms and roadside exhibit pullouts.
How would entrance fees be collected? With six major park entrances, staffed fee booths are probably not a cost-effective method. Park managers are considering other options.
- Fees could be collected using automated machines at park entrances. This system is currently in use at Death Valley National Park. The machines are installed and operated by a contractor, who receives a percentage of the take.
- Fees could be collected at existing information centers at Barstow, Kelso, and Hole-in-the-Wall. Visitors would be required to go to one of these outlets to pay the fee.
What will fees be used for?
Entrance fees collected at National Parks are used to fund visitor enhancements, such as rehabilitating historic structures, improving hiking trails and campgrounds, providing new exhibits and interpretive signs, providing accessibility to visitors with disabilities, and protecting natural and cultural resources. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (2004) allows park areas to retain up to 80% of the fees they collect. Fees cannot be used to fund employee salaries or other normal operating costs.
